chapter 1: do i want to be a teacher? introduction to teaching: becoming a professional 5 th edition...

CHAPTER 1: Do I Want to be a Teacher?

Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional

5th Edition

Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen

Kauchak and Eggen. Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Fifth Edition. © 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002 Copyright Years by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Reasons for Becoming a Teacher

Look at each of the reasons for becoming a teacher on the next slide and rate the reason using the following scale.

1 = I strongly believe the statement is true for me.

2 = I believe the statement is true for me.

3 = I believe the statement is false for me.

4 = I strongly believe the statement is false for me.

We will discuss the reasons after you’ve responded.


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Reasons for Becoming a TeacherContinued

1. Job security is a major reason I’m considering becoming a teacher.

2. Long summer vacations are important to me as I consider teaching as a career.

3. My desire to work with young people is an important reason I’m considering becoming a teacher.

4. I’m thinking of teaching because I want to contribute to our society.

5. My interest in a subject matter field is a major reason I’m thinking about becoming a teacher.

6. I’m considering teaching because of the opportunities for a lifetime of self-growth.


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Survey Rank of Responses to This I Believe

Rank Item #

1 3. My desire to work with young people is an important reason I’m considering becoming a teacher.

(Average response: 3.7)

2 4. I’m thinking of teaching because I want to contribute to our society. (Average response: 3.6)

3 6. I’m considering teaching because of the opportunities for a lifetime of self-growth. (Average

response: 3.1)

4 5. My interest in a subject matter field is a major reason I’m thinking about becoming a teacher.

(Average response: 3.0)

5 1. Job security is a major reason I’m considering becoming a teacher. (Average response: 2.5)

6 2. Long summer vacations are important to me as I consider teaching as a career. (Average response: 2.3)


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Discussion Questions (1-6)1. Do the reasons cited in the chapter for becoming a teacher change with the grade level or content area you might teach in? Why or why not?

2. Do you believe teaching is more or less rewarding than it was in the past? Is it more or less challenging? Why do you think so?

3. Which of the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in teaching are likely to become more important in the future? Less important?

4. For which group of teachers—teachers of elementary students (grades P–5), middle school students (grades 6–8), or high school students (grades 9–12)—are emotional rewards likely to be the greatest? Intellectual rewards? Why?

5. Would you be willing to trade greater pay for job security? How much more pay would you require to give up the protections of teacher tenure?

6. Which is more important to you, higher salaries or better working conditions? If you had a choice between 10 more students in your class and a raise of $10,000 dollars, would you accept the offer? If so, why? If not, why, and what would it take to convince you that 10 more students in your class is a good idea that you could live with?


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Rewards in Teaching

Mrs. Eggen,

I wanted to think of some creative way to thank you for being the best teacher I ever had. (But I couldn’t).

Even though all the geography skills I’ll ever use in my life I learned in second grade, I just wanted to say thanks for teaching me how to really prepare for life in the years to come.

Every day I looked forward to coming to your class (and not just because of Mike [a boy in the class]). I always enjoyed your class, because there was a hidden message about life in there somewhere.

Your [sic] my very favorite teacher and you’ve taught me some of the best lessons in life I could ever learn. Thank you so much.

A grateful student,

Erica Jacobs

P.S. No, I didn’t write this to raise my grade.


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Challenges in Teaching

All I do is work. I work every night; I work all weekend. Perri [her high school aged daughter] and I went on a short day trip last weekend, and I worked all the way there and all the way back while she drove. I know I’m in my first year of teaching, but this is just about too much.

The kids have been off the wall, and the EOC is coming up. [EOC refers to the “end of course” exam], and part of my year-end evaluation will be based on how well they do on the test. If next year doesn’t get easier, I’m not sure I can do this. (Suzanne Schellenberg, Personal Communication, February 29, 2012)

What type of challenge (e.g., complexities of classrooms, working conditions, or finding a job) does this letter best illustrate?

The letter likely best illustrates working conditions. Complexities of classrooms, of course, contribute to challenging working conditons.


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Discussion Questions (1-6)1. Do the reasons cited in the chapter for becoming a teacher change with the grade level or content area you might teach in? Why or why not?

2. Do you believe teaching is more or less rewarding than it was in the past? Is it more or less challenging? Why do you think so?

3. Which of the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in teaching are likely to become more important in the future? Less important?

4. For which group of teachers—teachers of elementary students (grades P–5), middle school students (grades 6–8), or high school students (grades 9–12)—are emotional rewards likely to be the greatest? Intellectual rewards? Why?

5. Would you be willing to trade greater pay for job security? How much more pay would you require to give up the protections of teacher tenure?

6. Which is more important to you, higher salaries or better working conditions? If you had a choice between 10 more students in your class and a raise of $10,000 dollars, would you accept the offer? If so, why? If not, why, and what would it take to convince you that 10 more students in your class is a good idea that you could live with?


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The Multiple Roles of Teaching1. Which of the multiple roles of teaching is best illustrated in the video episode, and how do the multiple roles of teaching relate to the complexities of classrooms?

2. What can you do to help you accommodate the multiple roles of teaching and the complexities of classrooms?

•The video episode illustrates the role: Collaborating with colleagues.

•The multiple roles of teaching will add to the complexities of your entire teaching experience.

•Preparing very carefully and creating well established routines will help you cope with the complexities of classrooms.


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How Important Are You?

•What does research say?

•Children who were fortunate enough to have a good kindergarten teacher resulted in students who were more likely to attend college and adults who were more likely to own a home, earn more over a life-time, and have sizable retirement savings.

•Having a good teacher in fourth grade results in several positive outcomes, such as increased adult incomes, an increased likelihood of going to college, and a decreased likelihood of teenage pregnancy.

•The importance of good teachers cannot be overstated.

•If you choose to teach, you will be doing some of the most important work that exists.


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Characteristics of Professionalism

•A specialized body of knowledge

--Knowledge of content

--Pedagogical content knowledge

--General pedagogical knowledge

--Knowledge of learners and learning

--Knowledge of the profession

•Autonomy

•Emphasis on decision making and reflection

•Ethical standards for conduct


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Examining Teacher Knowledge

1. Which of the teachers in the video example most clearly demonstrated pedagogical content knowledge in his or her teaching?

2. Which of the teachers was most lacking in this critical dimension of professional knowledge?


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Examining Teacher Knowledge Continued

1. Which of the teachers in the video example most clearly demonstrated pedagogical content knowledge in his or her teaching?

Richard Nelms and Didi Johnson, the two science teachers, most clearly demonstrated pedagogical content knowledge. Richard used a simple and clever demonstration to illustrate the concept of symmetry.

Didi used an equally clever demonstration to illustrate Charles’ Law.

2. Which of the teachers was most lacking in this critical dimension of professional knowledge?

Bob Duchene, the history teacher, showed the greatest lack of pedagogical content knowledge. He used no examples or other representations of the content he was teaching.

Rebecca Atkins, the kindergarten teacher could have strengthened her lesson by using some actual plants to illustrate her topic.


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Analyzing Ethics

Bullying is a problem in schools, and it has received increasing attention from both educators and the popular press.

You’re monitoring students as they play on a playground, and you see Kevin, a student with a pattern of pushing and shoving classmates, shove Damien, a small, shy boy in your class, to the ground. Damien quickly jumps back up, and because he seems unfazed by the incident, you do not intervene.

By not intervening have you behaved ethically?

As with many questions in teaching, this one is difficult to answer. The NEA code of ethics says that you “Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety.”

Historically, teachers have tended to treat bullying as part of growing up and almost a rite of passage. Kevin does indeed demonstrate bullying behavior, but it’s relatively minor, so the issue isn’t cut and dried.


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Discussion Questions (7-9)

7. Is teaching a profession? If not, what would be necessary to make it one? Will the move toward teacher professionalism be beneficial for teachers? Why or why not?

8. How will learner diversity influence your teaching when you take your first job and continue throughout your career? What can you do to prepare for this diversity?

9. Is testing teachers a good idea? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this approach to teacher quality? Should all teachers be tested for their grasp of basic skills? For content knowledge of the topics they’ll be teaching? For teaching skills?


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Diversity in Today’s Classrooms

•Nationwide, 4 of 10 students in today’s schools are students of color.•In the 25 largest cities, cultural minorities make up well over half the student population.•Socioeconomic differences—parents’ income, level of education, and the type of jobs they have—in students are pervasive and strongly influence school success.•In every classroom students differ with respect to ability. •In every classroom, students differ with respect to physical, intellectual, personal, and social development. •Students with exceptionalities are present in virtually every classroom.


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Rural, Suburban, and Urban Districts

Rural Districts•Tend to be smaller with smaller schools•Are less culturally diverse•Often seek beginning teachers

Suburban school districts•Are intermediate in terms of both size and cultural diversity•Are wealthier because of higher tax base•Tend to be more desirable working environments, so job opportunities are more competitive

Urban school districts•Are the largest and most culturally diverse•Provide considerable job opportunities


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Reforms in Teacher Education

•Raising standards for admission into teacher training programs

•Requiring teachers to take more rigorous courses

•Expanding teacher preparation programs from 4 to 5 years

•Requiring experienced teachers to take more rigorous professional-development courses

•Requiring higher standards for licensure, including teacher competency tests


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The Praxis Series™

Praxis I: Pre-professional Skills Test

Designed to measure basic skills in reading, writing, and math

Praxis II: Subject Assessments

Designed measure your knowledge of the subjects you will teach. They include:

70 content-specific tests

Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests, which measure professional knowledge.

The PLT tests are designed for teachers seeking licensure in Early Childhood or in grades K–6, 5–9, and 7–12.

Each PLT test has two parts: The first includes of 24 multiple-choice questions similar to items in the test bank that accompanies this text, and the second presents case histories with three short-answer questions to read and analyze.


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